Hypnosis: a state of human consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion. Theories explaining what occurs during hypnosis fall into two groups. Altered state theories see hypnosis as an altered state of mind or trance, marked by a level of awareness different from the ordinary conscious state. In contrast, nonstate theories see hypnosis as a form of imaginative role enactment. During hypnosis, a person is said to have heightened focus and concentration. The person can concentrate intensely on a specific thought or memory, while blocking out sources of distraction.
How does a low-level sensory representation rise into conscious awareness? What determines whether higher-order cortical areas have access to the representational content in sensory regions?...
Some of the most significant hurdles faced by neuroscientists in the field of neurodegenerative disease research when seeking to acquire genetic information include sample accessibility, repr...
Using Hebbian as well as homeostatic models of brain plasticity, the effects of neurofeedback (NFB) are examined from the theoretical perspective of EEG normalization. Within this framework,...
Clathrin mediated endocytosis (CME) at pre-synaptic terminals is functionally coupled to neuro-transmitter release. Like other cytosolic proteins, clathrin is synthesized in cell-bodies and c...
Since its initial description more than 70 years ago, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been diagnosed more frequently in boys. However, we remain unsure of why males are affected in greater...
Is sensory awareness facilitated by activity in only sensory cortices? For several decades, this has been the dominant viewpoint among many prominent voices in both neuroscience and philosoph...
CRISPR Cas9 nucleases have revolutionized gene editing enabling unprecedented efficiency of targeted mutagenesis. Even with such powerful technology at hand, sophisticated projects, su...
Most neuropsychiatric diseases involve multifactorial systems characterized by complex interactions among genetic predisposition/resiliency, environmental/social determinants, molecular seque...
Biomedical research depends on the use of model systems to explore basic biology, probe disease mechanisms, and conduct drug discovery and development. However, results from such systems are...
The cerebellum is incorporated into the distributed neural circuits subserving motor control, cognitive processing and the modulation of emotion. This lecture provides an overview of anatomic...
98% of small molecules and 100% of large molecules do not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Biologics, including therapeutic antibodies (e.g. anti-amyloid antibodies), have been at the for...
Complex animal behavior is produced by dynamic interactions between discrete regions of the brain. As such, defining functional connections between brain regions is critical in gaining a full...
Psychiatric diagnosis is inherently difficult, due to the lack of clear biomarkers or any other objective assessment. Although quantitative, the psychometric scales employed during the psychi...
Studying the genetics of rare congenital disorders disrupting cognitive function has led to the identification of multiple disease genes that helped us better understand the mechanisms underl...
Alterations in homeostatic functions such as energy balance and sleep patterns are frequently seen in the elderly and these changes may precede and predict subsequent cognitive decline. ...
As we experience our environments, our brains are constantly computing inferences about the most likely state of the world: Are those lights in the distance headlights or streetlights? ...
Epigenetics refers to the study of nuclear architecture and gene regulation. Epigenetic mechanisms govern many physiological processes such as cell differentiation, x-inactivation, and genomi...
Specialized aggregations of extracellular matrix called perineuronal nets (PNNs) appear during juvenile stages of development and surround primarily fast-spiking, parvalbumin (PV)-containing...
Working memory ability matures late in life, in adolescence or early adulthood, and may be enhanced even in adulthood through cognitive training. The mechanisms through which working memory i...
A fundamental challenge in developing brain machine interfaces (BMIs) is building a decoder between patterns of brain activity and movement in patients with spinal cord injury, ALS, and amput...
Miniaturized microscopes in combination with genetically encoded calcium indicators now allow recordings of activity from hundreds of neurons simultaneously in freely moving animals. We are b...
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder exhibiting both motor and behavioral impairment. Like most neuropsychiatric disorders, its pathophysiology has yet to be...
Basal forebrain cholinergic inputs to the cortex are known to contribute to attentional performance. A major focus of my laboratory has been to study the receptors mediating the effects of ac...
How does a low-level sensory representation rise into conscious awareness? What determines whether higher-order cortical areas have access to the representational content in sensory regions?...
Some of the most significant hurdles faced by neuroscientists in the field of neurodegenerative disease research when seeking to acquire genetic information include sample accessibility, repr...
Using Hebbian as well as homeostatic models of brain plasticity, the effects of neurofeedback (NFB) are examined from the theoretical perspective of EEG normalization. Within this framework,...
Clathrin mediated endocytosis (CME) at pre-synaptic terminals is functionally coupled to neuro-transmitter release. Like other cytosolic proteins, clathrin is synthesized in cell-bodies and c...
Since its initial description more than 70 years ago, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been diagnosed more frequently in boys. However, we remain unsure of why males are affected in greater...
Is sensory awareness facilitated by activity in only sensory cortices? For several decades, this has been the dominant viewpoint among many prominent voices in both neuroscience and philosoph...
CRISPR Cas9 nucleases have revolutionized gene editing enabling unprecedented efficiency of targeted mutagenesis. Even with such powerful technology at hand, sophisticated projects, su...
Most neuropsychiatric diseases involve multifactorial systems characterized by complex interactions among genetic predisposition/resiliency, environmental/social determinants, molecular seque...
Biomedical research depends on the use of model systems to explore basic biology, probe disease mechanisms, and conduct drug discovery and development. However, results from such systems are...
The cerebellum is incorporated into the distributed neural circuits subserving motor control, cognitive processing and the modulation of emotion. This lecture provides an overview of anatomic...
98% of small molecules and 100% of large molecules do not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Biologics, including therapeutic antibodies (e.g. anti-amyloid antibodies), have been at the for...
Complex animal behavior is produced by dynamic interactions between discrete regions of the brain. As such, defining functional connections between brain regions is critical in gaining a full...
Psychiatric diagnosis is inherently difficult, due to the lack of clear biomarkers or any other objective assessment. Although quantitative, the psychometric scales employed during the psychi...
Studying the genetics of rare congenital disorders disrupting cognitive function has led to the identification of multiple disease genes that helped us better understand the mechanisms underl...
Alterations in homeostatic functions such as energy balance and sleep patterns are frequently seen in the elderly and these changes may precede and predict subsequent cognitive decline. ...
As we experience our environments, our brains are constantly computing inferences about the most likely state of the world: Are those lights in the distance headlights or streetlights? ...
Epigenetics refers to the study of nuclear architecture and gene regulation. Epigenetic mechanisms govern many physiological processes such as cell differentiation, x-inactivation, and genomi...
Specialized aggregations of extracellular matrix called perineuronal nets (PNNs) appear during juvenile stages of development and surround primarily fast-spiking, parvalbumin (PV)-containing...
Working memory ability matures late in life, in adolescence or early adulthood, and may be enhanced even in adulthood through cognitive training. The mechanisms through which working memory i...
A fundamental challenge in developing brain machine interfaces (BMIs) is building a decoder between patterns of brain activity and movement in patients with spinal cord injury, ALS, and amput...
Miniaturized microscopes in combination with genetically encoded calcium indicators now allow recordings of activity from hundreds of neurons simultaneously in freely moving animals. We are b...
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder exhibiting both motor and behavioral impairment. Like most neuropsychiatric disorders, its pathophysiology has yet to be...
Basal forebrain cholinergic inputs to the cortex are known to contribute to attentional performance. A major focus of my laboratory has been to study the receptors mediating the effects of ac...